I want to try doing that lacquer finish that's in all the design magazines lately..I want to do a small hallway with not much continuous wall space. The look I hope for is a mirror-like finish. The walls are now painted w/an eggshell finish latex paint, not sure of the primer used. How do I start the laquering? Do I need to repaint the walls w/both oil based primer AND paint? Can I use BIN water based primer instead of oil base primer? Re: the sandpaper, what grit would I start/end with & do I need to go up in grit as a I progress in the application of lacquer? Also, I read somewhere that applying 4 or more coats of oil based high gloss paint would achieve the same mirror-like effect on walls as lacquer..anyone have any experience with either lacquer or hi-gloss oil paint on interior walls??
Thanks,
Deb

 

Welcome to the forums

Are you sure you want to use laquer? Are you sure you want a high gloss finish? Laquer works best when sprayed.

A couple of coats of high gloss enamel over a properly prepared surface will have a lot of shine. The problem with a high shine surface in a home is seldom are the walls perfect. That is why most walls are painted flat or satin. A high gloss will make minor defects [not noticed before] stand out like a sore thumb.

The few times I have used a laquer finish it was sprayed over a laquer primer. I don't know if it is compatible with latex paint.

 

are you sure it's not Venetian Plaster that you're seeing in the magazines? is the color solid or mottled light & dark? if the latter, that's VP (go to the Faux Finishing topic for info & how-to's).

 

Yes, I'm sure it's lacquer..I am familiar with Venetian plaster & faux finishing in general. There are lacquered wall articles are in the new issue of Southern Homes magazine & a recent issue of House Beautiful, right on the cover. Plus one of my favorite designers, Miles Redd uses lacquered walls extensively. But the articles always show pictures & no info whatsoever on the application other than 'it takes lots of coats & sanding', which I always do on anything I paint anyway.
I used Ben Moore gloss enamel on all the woodwork in my house, sometimes up to 5 coats, sanding obssesively between coats & it's still not exactly 'mirror-like'. I am hoping I could get a glossier finish with something else. The walls I want to lacquer aren't really very flawed since it's all brand new sheetrock. I have weighed all this out already, I'm just trying to find the how-to technique.
Thanks for responding,
Deb

 

High gloss enamel and oil on walls here
No lacquer though, well, I use it but not on walls
It's been a while since I've done high gloss oil on walls, but I've done it

I'll check the trade rags for a how-to, but off-hand I don't recall seeing any for lacquering walls

 

Top coating with a clear gloss will produce a high shine. Before I undertook the prep to spray water base lacquer on walls I'd see if a water base clear coat would get the result I wanted. As an experiment, buy a quart of Ben Moore Stays Clear gloss and try it over some of your trim and see if that gets you what want. If you don't like it you can paint over it. By the way, lots of clear coat is the way auto finishers get that super gloss on custom finishes.

 

Slickshift: can you recommend some trade magazines I could look at? I'm not an actual pro painter but I am a sort of designer & accomplished do-it-yourselfer so I'd be interested in pro painter mags..
Anyway, I was watching VH1 before & suddenly it occured to me to maybe check out guitar finishing, since that's pretty much the look I'm going for w/the lacquer. So right now I am looking at a forum similar to this one all about refinishing guitars & there's a lot of specific info on there re: product recommendations, sandpaper grits & the step-by-step info I was hoping to find re: lacquering walls. Still tho, wish I could find info specifically re: walls/vertical surfaces. I've seen the lacquered walls in a bunch of high-end interiors magazines lately & suspect it might be the new big thing in decorative interior painting & then Home Depot will then have brochures on it like they do now for Venetian Plaster.
But right now, that's not happening...all I have found on the web re: lacquered walls is other people like me complaining about the lack of info on the actual procedure. All I know is lots of clear coat & sanding will be part of the process no matter what product I use. I'd be willing to use anything that produced the desired glossy finish-lacquer, oil paint, shellac, urethane-whatever.
Thanks,
Deb

 

Well, I'm not surprised at the lack of info
Lacquering as I know it is a very labor intensive project, and not really DIY friendly
And I'm talking from a very small persective (boxes, chests, furniture)
I can't imagine doing a wall, never mind four

I'm curious as to how it's done, and if it differs (it must) from the process with which I am familier

I was thinking maybe (perhaps wrongly) a trade publication not available to the general public may have some information on the process

I have not noticed any mention of this process but then I wasn't looking for any before your post
I'm in a very New England area (lighthouses, boats, and beaches) so some trends just pass us by

 

Oh, also you may want to expand your search to include "Japaning"
I believe it was called that because the first products in North America to have the shiny black finish were from Japan
Just a thought

 

Try the forums at Homesteadfinishing.com. You can get advice there on spray equipment and materials. Homesteadfinishing also sells spray equipment and the Target and Fuhr lines of waterbase lacquer. The contributors there are as good a bet as anyone for ideas on laquering wall board.